Bird watchers from Europe and the UK are impressed with Uganda opportunities to indulge their love for things avian. The first African Birding Expo is currently being held in Uganda near Kampala on beautiful Lake Victoria. This is an opportunity to showcase the diversity of bird species in the country. With more than 1000 bird species representing 50 percent of Africa's birds, the expo has attracted hundred of bird lovers from Europe, the UK and even from as far away as the USA.
Uganda hosts 10 percent of world's bird species
Xinhuanet News reported that visitors are delighted to find out more about the bird paradise.
It is indeed a paradise for 'twitchers' as Uganda "accounts for 10 percent of the globe's total bird species." In 2013 the Africa Bird Club voted Uganda as the preferred destination for bird watching. In 2012 they made it as the best destination on the Lonely Planet Website. This was good news for the Uganda Tourism Board as tourism currently brings in 23 percent the country's Gross Domestic Product. With Birding seen as an environmentally friendly eco-travel draw-card Uganda hopes that this Expo will encourage more bird-lovers to visit their country. Xinhuanet quoted the American Birding Association spokesperson, Nate Swick, as saying that he "urged Uganda to fully exploit the country's potential."
The reason Uganda can boast such bird diversity is attributed to the geological and floral biodiversity of the country.
Uganda has rich habitat and these include lush tropical forests, the banks of the Nile River, and the Great Lake Victoria. Biodiversity for sustainable development is seriously on the agenda in Uganda. In 2015, A new Biodiversity Conservation Trust for Uganda was launched in Kampala.
Rare birds and reputable recommendations
Amongst the rarer birds in Uganda can be found the Shoebill.
These strangely ugly birds are coming under fire from human activity and there are now reportedly less than 200 of them left in the wild. Nevertheless, there are bird watching opportunities that stun visitors, and this was reported on by National Geographic - a media outlet with a respectable reputation.
The pleasure of watching birds is that many of them are found in areas where other animals occur naturally. See the short video below to see a bird safari guide training experience in Uganda, the beautiful country known as the "jewel of Africa."
